Arizona weekly enterprise., 1887-10-22
THE Tombstone Epitaph and Globe

TIE Tombstone Epitaph and Globe Silver Belt have charged the ENTERPRISE with prostituting it's columns in its warm support of the Tortilita Mining Com pany's mines at the Owl Heads in this county, intimating that it was done for pay. We have no room for words with our con ternporaries, knowing as we do so well, that they lie-under misapprehension of the facts, but we have no desire to be misrepresented ill the matter. The mines owned by this company we have reason to believe are all that Is claimed for them by the Company. They have been steady producers from the grass roots down to their present depth and from their ores the little five stamp prospecting mill has yielded bull lion output of over $164, ,O00. This is enough proof of the value of the mines themselves and it is far better showing than many other mines and mills that our carping contemporaries have extolled have ever yielded or ever will yield. These properties are among the best mines of Pinal county and we would cer- tainly be derelict in duty we owe to worthy home enterprises did we not de- fend them against unjust accusations.
 The mining company controlling the properties we know but little about. Its officers are said to bear good regulations and, however indiscreet they may be Tn conducting mining affairs, we cannot for moment believe they would be guilty of engaging in such swindle as they are charged with. We are under no obliga- tions to them and have never received cent, nor the promise of a cent, for any thing we have said of the properties or may hereafter say, but we like to see square toed justice done. The capitali- ration of the company can cut no figure in the honesty of purpose of the company itself, and but few mIning companies have less. The Contention mining com pany has capital stock of over twelve millions and at the same stage of develop ment the mine did not sho W 80 well as the properties of the Tortilita mining company-with capital stock of but one million. We have heretofore endorsed only the mines and have spoken of them according to their just merits. All we have said heretofore regarding them we reiterate and reafirm. We have full confidence in the statements of Superin- tendent D. T. Elmore and his assurance that the future record of the mines will jus tify our endorsement IS sufficient guar anty that our confidence ill them is not misplaced.
 For the benefit of the skeptical black mailers we append the following excerpt from an authoritative source respecting these properties;
 In the official report of the Mint Bureau for 1883, it may be seen stated that the Lone Will and the By Chance mines had been worked for tho three years anterior to 1883 by arastra, and produced ore in sufficient quantity and
  es. Thirty five assays taken from ore in the vein have produced an average of S240 per ton. The ore is free milling with a preponderance of horn and native sllver Several shafts. varying from 5 to 80 feet in depth, have. been sunk. The company owning these mines have leased the Jesse Benton mill, which is now un- der full headway in their ores. (Mmt Bureau report of production of gold and silver for lS83) As for the Jessie Ben- ton, the official report as far back as 1881 stated that the mine was opened by five shafts with tunnels and drifts--the main shaft fitted with improved hoisting works was then down seventy feet Tn rich chloride and carbonate ores. That an. other shaft was down fifty -four feet in ore which yielded S425 to the ton in silver with S5 in gold. In several other parts of the mine, developments had been made, all showing ore m quantity rang ing from S350 to S375 to ton. (See pro duction of gold and silver for 1881, D. 290.l
 Again, in the Mint Bureaus Repor for 1884, it is stated by the official repor ter that the mill of the Jessie Benton Con M. Go. had been running steadily upoI ore carrying native silver, horn silve and black metal-the latter giving speci mehs assaying from 100 to severa thousand ounces to the ton from the By Chance and Lone Will. It is also re ported that the company have severa prospects, notably, the Benton, with or showing on the full length of the location with shafts from 20 to 90 feet deep an the Desert, upon the ore of which the have run their mill eight months and o which there is an incline shaft 120 fee deep with 200 ounce ore in the bottom (Pages 53-54
 IRE assurance given to Sheriff Frye by Governor Zulick that all the Indiar